A generalization of the wave-equation target-oriented inversion to the prestack image domain needs regularization, since the condition number of the target-oriented Hessian matrix can be high. In general, inversion gives more balanced sections and higher resolution images. However, it also increases the noise that is not modeled by the one-way Green functions.
While imaging the Sigsbee model, both postack and prestack inversion methods obtained better zero subsurface-offset images than migration, increasing the resolution and the continuity of the events into the shadow zones.